Hypodermic syringe and needle combination with a secondary, detachable needle assembly



D. GABRIEL ETAL 3,292,624 HYPODERMIC SYRINGE AND NEEDLE COMBINATION WITH A SECONDARY, DETACHABLE NEEDLE ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 16, 1963 .mLm m MR E R v A m A M LN 4 Plan a 5 m x mm v Dy 7 B Z W w 5 7 23 6 7 M 5 2/57 5 5 f F U 1 f illilll 5 AH \wwm w\ h wln ll 5 Q .a/Z 0 a0 W 2 Dec. 20, 1966 I HTTORNEY United States Patent M HYPODERMIC SYRINGE AND NEEDLE COMBI- NATION WITH A SECONDARY, DETACHABLE NEEDLE ASSEMBLY Daniel Gabriel and Susan M. Gabriel, both of Bonny Blue, Va. Filed Dec. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 330,750 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-221) This invention relates to a hypodermic syringe assemblage employing means integral with the cylinder of the syringe for piercing a vial stopper in the operation of filling the syringe with a hypodermic needle unit detachable with respect to said means and, further, with a protective casing detachable with said unit to thereby provide a sterile assemblage which can be disposed of after use.

More particularly, the invention deals with an assemblage of the character defined, wherein all parts of the assemblage, with the exception of the needle of the unit employed, are preferably composed of plastic material to economize on the cost of producing the same.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged side view of an assemblage made according to the invention, with parts of the construction broken away and in section.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of a part of the construction shown in FIG. 1, with the filling needle end of the cylinder shown in elevation.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the method of filling the cylinder of the syringe, preparatory to administering the medication; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the lower end of the assemblage, with the needle unit exposed for use or administration.

Considering FIG. 1 of the drawing, shows the cylin der of the syringe which, in a preferred form of the invention is made of molded plastic material and operating in the bore 11 of the cylinder is a plunger 12, preferably having a suitable rubber end 13 to insure positive engagement with the wall of the bore 11 in drawing medication into the bore and in discharging medication therefrom. The upper end of the cylinder has laterally extending fingerpiece portions 14, such as commonly employed in devices of the kind under consideration; whereas, the plunger 12 has an enlarged fingerpiece 15 at its upper end The lower end of the cylinder 10 has a closure wall 16 with a discharge aperture 17 therein, the wall 16 including a projecting reduced diameter collar portion 18, from which extends an externally tapered shank 19.

At the terminal end of the shank 19 is a reduced diameter projecting needle 20 having a sharpened end 21 and extending through the needle and the shank is a small diameter bore 22.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the collar 18, shank 19 and needle 20 are all formed integrally with the casing 10. At 23 I have shown a needle unit, clearly illustrated in side elevation in FIG. 4 of the drawing. The needle unit comprises an elongated tubular body of molded plastic material having an externally tapered portion 24 with a tapered bore 25 therein fitting the taper of the shank 19, the upper end of 24 having a large diameter fingerpiece rim 26.

Extending from 24 is a tubular portion 27 having a reduced end 28, in connection with which a hypodermic 3,292,624 Patented Dec. 20, 1966 needle 29 is secured, this attachment being preferably through the medium of a suitable adhesive, as diagrammatically illustrated at 30 at the lower end of 28 in FIG. 1 of the drawing. The needle 29 is a metallic needle and has a pointed end, as seen at 31. The needle 29 opens into a small diameter bore 32 in the lower portion of the tube 27 and the bore 32 is of such diameter as to snugly receive the needle 20, at least in the area between the positions 33 and 34 in the bore 32, as clearly noted in FIG. 2 of the drawing. Between the position 33 and the taper 25 in 24 is an abrupt taper 35, part of which is shown in FIG. 2 of the drawing and also illustrated in FIG. 1.

When the various parts of the hypodermic syringe are in the assembled position, as noted in FIG. 1 and, in part, in FIG. 2, the pointed end 21 of the needle 20 extends into a position in close proximity to the upper end of the needle 29, as will clearly appear from a consideration of FIG. 2 of the drawing, so that, in transferring the medication from the bore 11 of the cylinder 10 into and through the needle 25, a minimum chamber would be provided in the lower end of the bore 32. In this connection, it will be understood that, in applying the graduations on the cylinder to indicate amount of medication drawn into the cylinder 10, these will be consistent with the several passages leading to the discharge end of the needle 29 to be assured that the proper quantity of medication Will at all times be administered to the patient.

At 36 is shown a molded protective casing of plastic material, having an upper large diameter portion 37 terminating in a bead 38, the portion 37 having adjacent its lower end an annular fingerpiece rim 39, facilitating attachment and detachment of the casing 36. The bore 39 of the end 37 is tapered to snugly engage the upper tapered end 24 of the unit 23. The protective casing 36 has a reduced diameter tubular central portion 40 terminating in a downwardly contracted tubular end 41 of suflicient length to freely receive a cover for the needle 29, the bore of 40 being sufliciently large to freely receive the tubular portion 27 of the unit 23, as will clearly appear drum a consideration of FIG. 1 of the drawing.

By employing the protective casing 36, the assemblage can he brought to the physician in a completely sterile state and, in use, the physician first detaches the unit 23 with the protective casing 36 thereon and, then, injects the needle 20 through the rubber stopper 42 of a vial 43, as diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 3, so that medication 44 of the vial can be drawn into the bore 11 of the casing 10 to the extent required by the physician; whereupon, the removed casing 36, with the unit '23 therein, is reassembled on the tapered shank 19 and, by holding the fingerpiece 26 with one hand and grasping the fingerpiece 39 of the protective casing 36, this casing can be removed from the unit 23, bringing the parts into the position shown in FIG. 4, at which time, medication can be administered to the patient by the physician.

Upon completing this operation, as and when the assemblage or device has completed its function, the same can be discarded. It will be understood, however, that, in some instances, the entire assemblage, with possibly the exception of the protective casing 36, can be formed of other material and the syringe proper, including the unit 23, can be reused by simply sterilizing the same and this, of course, could also apply to the protective casing, if desired.

It will be understood that the tree end of the shank 19 forms a shoulder around the needle 20, checking movement of the needle into -a vial. In like manner, the collar 18 forms a stop, limiting movement of the unit 23 onto the tapered shank 19 and the rim 26 checks movement of the casing 36 on the tapered portion 24. In FIG. 1 of 3 the drawing, the respective surfaces are shown in engagement; whereas, in actual practice, the taper will form a check so that the unit will not necessarily engage 18 and the protective casing will not necessarily engage the rim 26.

The abrupt taper 35 operates to guide the needle 20 into the bore 32. It will also be apparent that the unit 23 normally forms a protective enclosure for the needle 20.

In connection with the operation of discharging medication from the syringe, in some instances, the physician may find it desirable to carefully actuate the plunger to bring the medication to the discharge end of the needle 29, prior to injecting the needle into the patient and administration of the medication. This method of procedure is particularly advantageous when the physician wishes to avoid injection of air.

Having fully described my invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a hypodermic needle assemblage of'the character defined, :a syringe cylinder including a plunger operating in said cylinder, a discharge end of the cylinder having an integral projecting tapered shank, a reduced diameter needle integral with and projecting from said shank and terminating in a sharpened point, said shank and needle having a one-diameter bore extending therethrough, a supplemental needle unit detachably mounted on said tapered shank, said unit having a bore, said unit including a projecting hypodermic needle communicating with the: bore in the unit, said bore of the unit snugly engaging a substantial longitudinal portion of the first named needle, a protective casing enveloping substantially the entire unit and detachable with said tmit in forming a complete.

unitary assemblage of the cylinder, unit and said casing, and said casing having a downwardly contracted tubular end.

2. An assernihlage as defined in claim 1, wherein the.

unit and protective casing include projecting annular fingerpiece portions facilitating attachment and detachment of the unit with respect to the tapered shank of the syringe casing, as well as detachment of the protective casing with respect to said unit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,512,568 6/1950 Saffir 1282l5: 2,845,068 7/1958 Gabriel 128-221 2,868,201 1/1959 Gabriel 128221 1 3,021,942 2/1962 I-Iamilton 128-2l8 I FOREIGN PATENTS 796,539 6/1958 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

DALTON L. TRULUCK, Examiner. 

1. IN A HYPODERMIC NEEDLE ASSEMBLAGE OF THE CHARACTER DEFINED, A SYRINGE CYLINDER INCLUDING A PLUNGER OPERATING IN SAID CYLINDER, A DISCHARGE END OF THE CYLINDER HAVING AN INTEGRAL PROJECTING TAPERED SHANK, A REDUCED DIAMETER NEEDLE INTEGRAL WITH AND PROJECTING FROM SAID SHANK AND TERMINATING IN A SHARPENED POINT, SAID SHANK AND NEEDLE HAVING A ONE-DIAMETER BORE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, A SUPPLEMENTAL NEEDLE UNIT DETACHABLY MOUNTED ON SAID TAPERED SHANK, SAID UNIT HAVING A BORE, SAID UNIT INCULDING A PROJECTING HYPODERMIC NEEDLE COMMUNICATING WITH THE BORE IN THE UNIT, SAID BORE OF THE UNIT SNUGLY ENGAGING A SUBSTANTIAL LONGITUDINAL PORTION OF THE FIRST NAMED NEEDLE, A PROTECTIVE CASING ENVELOPING SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE UNIT AND DETACHABLE WITH SAID UNIT IN FORMING A COMPLETE UNITARY ASSEMBLAGE OF THE CYLINDER, UNIT AND SAID CASING, AND SAID CASING HAVING A DOWNWARDLY CONTRACTED TUBULAR END. 